


I can swear I feel the beating of a cold, cold heart

by Natasi (SwordDraconis113)



Category: Lost Girl, Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, F/F, Freeform, that time Lauren was raised in the foster system with Emma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-05
Updated: 2014-03-05
Packaged: 2018-01-14 15:45:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1272199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwordDraconis113/pseuds/Natasi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Evony meets Regina, Lauren and Emma are in denial.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I can swear I feel the beating of a cold, cold heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [synergyfox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/synergyfox/gifts).



> Title from Dropped by Phantom Planet which I've always applied to my biggest ships so...it seemed fitting :P

****

When Evony meets Regina, Lauren and Emma are in denial. They stare at the opposing women, looking at the same smirk, the similar clothes and the arrogant air they both wear like perfume. 

Then they look to each other, quirking an eyebrow. 

“Who’s she?” comes out as a chorused question. 

“Evony,” Lauren introduces. “Leanan Sidhe. Dark Fae leader. And...my boss. Sort of.” 

“Regina. The Evil Queen,” Emma sighs. “Henry’s adoptive mother and Mayor of the town I live in… sort of.” 

Then, to their totally-platonic-people. “This is my sister.” 

“Well, foster sister,” Lauren correct. Emma doesn’t care. Blood never meant much to her anyway. 

They end up having lunch and catching up on the last few years. Evony and Regina argue over which car they should take (they take both) and where they should go (Lauren ends up picking the restaurant). They both argue the bill until Emma and Lauren split it between the two of them. 

  


. 

  


Evony, at first, admires Regina. But admiration gets somewhat twisted in pride and somehow she ends up competing with her. She may not have ‘magical powers’ over whatever element, or do whatever witches do, but she’s lived two-thousand years old. Much longer than a measly bonus ‘thirty years’ all of which was frozen in a groundhog day spell. 

That and she runs two jobs simultaneously, running an entire people rather than just a small town. 

Lauren groans, head in hands and snaps more than once. Emma just tilts her head back on booth’s spine, rolling her eyes tiredly as she plays with curly fries and sauce as Regina points out that she was queen as well, more than that, she’s at least famous and known in this world. Sort of. 

No one’s ever heard of the “the Morrigan” (mythology of Morrigan not withstanding) 

  


. 

  


“So you and Eb-” 

“Evony,” Lauren corrects. “There’s nothing between us.” 

“But she un-enslaved you?” 

“No, I did that. Well- I mean, it’s a bit more than that and...a long story.” 

Emma nods, trying to understand. “So she re-enslaved you?” 

“Err...no, it’s a bit more complicated than that. I mean, she claimed me, but that was so I was protected from the fae. I have more rights than I did before, more freedom but I guess I’m still a slave. So, yes.” 

Emma nods, putting it into layman's terms in her head (basically her understanding is that Lauren’s like a refugee, and the Dark Fae isn’t the most humane country, but they are the only one with the firepower to keep her safe from the other country). “So when did you start sleeping with her?” 

That throws Lauren off balance. “We’re not sleeping together,” she confirms, definitely, after lots of stuttering and a rather humorous blanched expression. 

“So you haven’t slept with her?” That gets Emma more blubbering, open-close mouth movements, and a wild explanation that all Emma understood was sex. “So you have slept together.” 

“To turn her human. There were no feelings involved.” 

“So you couldn’t turn her human any other way like putting it in her drink or something?” 

“Well- yes, but… the sex helped- I mean, it… She! Sent Crystal and...” Lauren drops her head into her hands, glaring at her foster sister. “Shut-up.” 

“So you do like her.” 

“So you and Regina…” 

Emma understands very quickly how Lauren felt five minutes ago. 

  


. 

  


They’re sitting at a bar. The four of them. Lauren and Emma sitting together in a booth with Evony and Regina on either side. Evony’s blatantly flirting, arm around the back of the booth behind Lauren. Regina’s more rigid, but when there’s even the suggestion of a threesome with two blondes, there’s a hand clamped over Emma’s leg and a rather defensive verbal attack on Evony. 

Lauren doesn’t think she’s even aware of her hand on her sister’s thigh. Emma is, if the pink cheeks mean anything. 

“So tell me more about Lauren,” Evony requests after everyone’s had a bit to drink. Enough that Emma’s buzzed, Regina’s relaxed and Lauren leans back so Evony’s stretched arm presses against the back of her neck. “Any interesting stories I should know?” 

“She slept with one of her professor’s,” Emma shrugs. 

“Oh?” 

Lauren chokes. “You knew about that?” 

“The whole school-” Emma blinks, “You didn’t know?” 

“Know what?” 

“Nothing!” Emma says quickly, looking down at the beer. “So this “Morrigan” business.” It doesn’t work. 

“Don’t change the conversation,” Lauren hisses. “Know. What?” 

Regina and Evony both chuckle, amused as they watch Emma sink lower and lower as Lauren grows taller and taller in her seat. “You weren’t aware of the tape?” she asks meekly. 

“What. Tape?” 

“The security footage. You were caught in the library going… you know, against a bookcase,” Emma quickly down the rest of her beer, clasping a hand to Regina’s thigh in attempt to rise and leave to the bathroom. Lauren quickly shoots a glare, sitting her back down. 

“There was a tape?” 

“It was a long time ago.” Neither woman notices Evony furiously texting on her phone. “I’m sure it doesn’t-” 

“Found it!” Evony grins. Holding out her phone, she shows off a rather terribly filmed security footage of someone who may look like Lauren pinning an older woman to a bookcase. Lauren blinks, staring at a younger her (doc martens, ripped jeans, dammit it’d been a different time!) being rather aggressive. Not that her (now ex) professor was at all complaining with that large smile on her face. 

Well, at least when the smile wasn’t snagged between teeth. 

Lauren glares at Emma, then snatches Evony’s phone away, horrified to see what website it’s on. 

“How do I get this taken down?” 

Evony takes the phone back, smirking. “You ask me. Nicely.” 

  


. 

  


Nicely somehow turns out to just be that. Asking with a polite please. 

Lauren feels strangely disappointed as she leaves Evony’s office once she sees the video’s gone. 

  


. 

  


“So you and Regina...” 

Emma chokes on the hot chocolate. “Where did that come from?” 

“You’re raising a son together,” Lauren shrugs. “It must be difficult.” 

“It’s not. I mean, it was, but it’s not any- don’t smile like that, it’s creepy.” 

Lauren doesn’t stop smiling, taking a sip of her own hot drink. “She looks at you the same way she looks at Henry, you realise.” 

“So?” 

“You look at her the same way.” 

Emma narrows her eyes, not liking where this is going. “What are you getting at, Lewis?” 

“Nothing, Swan.” 

“Shut up.” 

“You always liked the name Swan.” 

“And you always liked Lauren,” She smiles. Then stops. “You could have called me, you know. When you were in trouble. I would have helped.” 

Lauren stops, looking over her coffee. “He knew, Emma. He knew what happened, what he was doing and I wanted to blame him.” 

“But?” 

“But I made the bomb,” she shrugs. “I handed it to him. I didn’t want you to also be a part of that. I didn’t want you to know about any of that. I mean...eleven people.” 

“Well, I kinda found out.” Reaching out, she places a hand over Lauren’s. “I wouldn’t have been pissed for long, you know that. It was an accident and I get that. But...you left me. That I was pissed about for a long time. There may or may not have been some unsent angry letters.” 

“I know.” 

“And you didn’t talk to me, and I know you have this issue with trust, but dammit, Lauren, of all people!” 

“I know.” 

“I don’t think you do.” Emma sighs, taking back her hand. The chocolate’s bitter on her tongue, but she smiles at Lauren. “I wanted to keep, Henry, you know. I wanted...you to be there. We had plans.” 

“I screwed up.” 

“You did.” 

“It’s not okay.” 

“It’s not,” Lauren agrees. “But...I’m here now.” 

“Yeah. You are. And it’s not like I never ran from you. So I get it, it just...hurts.” 

“How is Neal?” Lauren switches, watching the surprise take over Emma’s features. There’s no pink like when she throws Regina’s name randomly in the conversation. Just surprise, then a smile. 

“Good, good. He’s looking after Henry. Not that Regina’s comfortable with that.” 

  


. 

  


“She broke the Storybrooke sign,” Regina glares playfully over the wine, noticing the pink flush on Emma’s cheek. “Needless to say there was more paperwork on my table for that incident then there was when there was a protest held outside my office in the seventies.” 

“You hit a town's sign again?” Lauren questions, laughing as Emma guiltily gulped a mouthful of the liquor. 

“Oh?” Regina laughs, “So it’s not the first time, then?” 

“Twice!” Emma defends, “and there was a wolf with that storybrooke sign,” she points to Regina, before looking at Lauren, “And that was your fault.” 

“Three times. If you include the truck.” 

Emma deflates then. “I was twelve?” she tried. It didn’t work. Regina laughs though, sitting back in the chair as they finish off the lasagne. “Come on, can’t we tell embarrassing stories about you?” Lauren looks bemused at the idea. Regina shakes her head, setting her glass down on the table. 

“Oh no, I promised Evony I wouldn’t let the conversation move from Emma,” she says. Both blondes turn, surprised at the sentence. Slowly, she schooled her features. “I admit, we’ve been talking.” 

“About what?” Twin replies, defensive and worried. Regina laughs again, easily. Lauren sees the brief, blissful expression on Emma’s face at the sound and smirks over her wine. 

“Politics mostly.” 

Lauren narrows her eyes, but doesn’t press the issue. Still, the word mostly rolls around in her head, biting at the back of her neck. 

  


. 

  


“You and Regina have been speaking?” Lauren asks as she hands her work files for an overview. Evony blinks up from her computer. 

“Put it just there. And yes, she has interesting insight into politics, having ruled an entire kingdom with fear. We’re discussing tactics, war sometimes. Why?” 

“Oh,” Lauren fidgets. “Nothing, I...I just thought- it doesn’t matter.” Evony laughs at her. It’s warm, lighthearted, but still mocking and Lauren ducks her head away. 

“She doesn’t know much more about you, just like I don’t know much about Emma. Why, does it bother you?” 

“No…” Lauren coughs nervously, fighting the flush. 

“Should I ask more questions about Emma? Or is there something you’re both hiding from us?” She’s teasing her, but still, Lauren fidgets, nervous at even bringing up the conversation in the first place. She should have known it was nothing. 

“Sh-she’s my sister. I don’t know what you’d want to know.” 

“I’m very aware of that. Tell me, darling, why were you worried that we were speaking about the two of you?” 

“I wasn’t worried.” It’s defensive and Evony rises from her seat, moving to stand in front of Lauren. “I mean...I was curious, but not worried. Worried would imply that I had something to fear, but…” she trails off, watching as Evony steps closer. The woman reaches forward, tucking a strand of blonde behind Lauren’s ear. The touch shivers through her. “What are you doing?” 

“Seducing you.” 

“Seducing me?” Lauren parrots. 

“I think we played this game long enough, don’t you?” 

  


. 

  


Emma wakes up in sheets that aren’t hers, with a body she’s more than just familiar with. 

She, of course, doesn’t tell Lauren. Mostly because Lauren takes one look at her in the bar and sighs. “You too?” 

“They planned it.” 

“They did.” 

“Son of a bitch.” 

. 

  


Time goes by and something akin to a real relationship happens. 

  


. 

  


Out of all of them, Lauren and Emma are the most surprised. Probably because Regina and Evony are getting a long quite well. Discussing the two blondes, torture tactics, rules of magic, spells, potions, raising children… 

The last one was the only thing that makes Evony, for the first time, consider that maybe she’d done something wrong. 

And probably the only thing she regrets more than kicking Hitler out of art school, simply because of how Lauren looks at her when Massimo is even brought up in conversation. Regina sort of gets it. As the Evil Queen, she knows she could have easily fell down that route with Leopold’s child. 

Hell, she almost did with Snow. Even tried to kill her, but at least she didn’t give birth to Snow. And she wasn’t exactly perfect with Henry. (Gas-lighting, but still) 

It doesn’t stop her from pointing out Evony’s flaws, but it does make her work harder to help them both. 

  


. 

  


Regina and Emma argue. Over magic, over Henry, over each other. It’s big and messy and Emma’s half sure magic flies stuffs around the room all Matilda like. Somehow the word love spills out of Regina’s mouth first. Horrified she tries to snap it back, glares and then justly accuses Emma as if it was all her fault she even said anything. 

The argument ends, Emma forgets what it was even about originally. All she hears is the word love and then she’s tackling Regina on the couch, kissing her desperately as if it might be the last time she hears it. 

It takes a few seconds for Regina’s brain to catch up. 

  


. 

  


When Lauren and Evony argue, Lauren yells and Evony finally gets what’s on her mind. It’s annoying, but arguing at least makes Lauren irrational to the point she tears down her emotional barriers. 

Once. Only once (but it’s been on Lauren’s mind for years) she admits what’s at the centre of her issues. It cuts the frustration from Evony quickly and fixes an O on her lips. 

“Lauren.” It’s sharp, short. A finger on her chin, tilting Lauren’s head up until the woman meets her eyes. “You’re an idiot.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“Let me finish. You’re an idiot.” She waits. Lauren, too, waits, hoping there’s more to it. It takes a moment to realise that Evony’s trying to tear down her own walls to admit something. “You are more than enough. You are...all I want, or need.” 

“I can’t sustain you,” Lauren bites back, glaring as she snaps away. “And I won’t live...long enough, even if that were at all part of what you want-” 

Evony pulls her back, glaring at her fiercely. “I could live off you, for a very short time but longer than most. Ten years, maybe. Fifteen if I took leisure. You would be a very large meal and one I could quite happily live off solely. Do you know why I don’t do that?” 

“You can?” Evony’s a bit frustrated she’s focusing on that and not on what she’s trying to say. 

“You really are an idiot. Leanan sidhe are supposed to have singular feeds! I’m excessive because I don’t like to age and because I enjoy tasting from a wide pallet. Humans are delicious but they’re even more-so when you have a wide variety to choose from instead of going back to same one over and over.” 

“So I’m boring?” 

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” She takes a breath, and tries to explain herself the best way she can. “In the very long life I’ve lived, there has never been anyone as tempting as you, who I’ve never indulged on,” she says. Lauren wouldn’t have care much for the comment if it were for the voice hitch. Soft, near-unnoticeable, but there. “This is new to me. Do you understand?” 

“Yes.” 

“Good. Now, take off your clothes and pretend this conversation never happened.” 

Lauren smirks, complies, but only for half of the order. And okay, some other orders. 

  


. 

  


Later she makes her say the three words. To which Evony hisses out before Lauren allows the eight how sex session where neither one has orgasmed, to finally hit climax. 

It’s the best sex anyone has ever had ever. 

In Evony’s opinion. She thinks it at least. Before passing out. 

Then she makes Lauren swear to never tell anyone that that happened. 

  


. 

  


Lauren tells Emma, who of course tries to do it to Regina. 

  


. 

  


“So...are you going to tell me why you’re standing in front of me six months pregnant or do I have to ask?” 

Lauren glares at her sister. “You just asked.” 

“Lauren, your six months pregnant.” 

“I know. I’ve been...busy.” 

“With what?” 

“Work.” 

“And the pregnancy slipped by you?” 

“Actually, you’d be surprised,” Lauren says, the irony’s not lost on her. “Of all people, it took Dyson to work it out.” 

Emma blinks. “The wolf?” 

“The wolf,” she confirms, nodding with her hand on the belly Emma can’t look away from. “It was awkward.” 

“Awkward how?” 

“Awkward that he hugged me, paused, then asked me why no one had told him that I was pregnant. At the time I was about four months in and didn’t even realise his superior hearing could pick up any pregnancy, let alone one that I was unaware of.” 

“So you’ve known for two months and-” Emma pauses, breathes out and remembers that this is her sister. “How did you not know you might be pregnant before four months? Aren’t there...signs?” 

“It’s a long story.” 

“I knocked her up,” Evony grins, appearing out of nowhere with Regina by her side. “Did you get to that part?” 

Emma looks even more confused. 

“Fertility charm, dear,” Regina says, before Lauren can make the situation any more confusing. “And I suggested they make sure it’s not twins.” 

“It’s not,” Lauren confirmed, just as Evony “ooh, twins would be fun.” 

  


. 

  


Evony flicked through a magazine, allowing Lauren to attempt to break her hand and yell obscene comments. “Push,” she said when the nurse says push. Then. “It’s not that difficult. Even I’ve done it. Which much less-” 

Evony was quickly replaced by Emma and kicked out. That didn’t stop her from terrorizing the midwife. Emma sees, Lauren doesn’t. Too busy pushing. Lauren just sees Evony being laconic, not her pacing around, snapping at nurses and nearly killing six people who asked if she was okay. One of which involved Regina having to physically restrain her. 

Turns out, the magazine kept her from doing something stupid. Like bursting into tears. 

Which would have been ridiculous because she just didn’t do that sort of thing. 

  


. 

  


Emma likes to bring this up when Lauren forgets. It’s almost as amusing as Lauren bringing up the fact that when Henry got sick with pneumonia, Regina nearly took out the entire hospital in rage. When she was kicked out of the hospital, Evony had to come in and force the nurses to allow her back in under the guise that she’d be supervised. 

(which just involved Evony flicking through a magazine and making arrangements for her clients as Emma tries to tackle Regina away from Doctor Whale) 

  


. 

  


Kenzi calls the baby “Hot pants junior.” 

The name sticks. 

To everyone but Evony and Lauren’s amusement. 

  


. 

  


Emma and Regina don’t get married. Regina doesn’t like marriage, but she likes the ring Emma gets her. Emma likes the office sex it gets her (she’d been trying for years but nooooo “offices were for office work”, well not any more! Even if it was a one-time thing...) 

Lauren doesn’t care for marriage, Evony doesn’t either, but they take the honeymoon trip anyway. This time checking their bags to make sure there’s no fertility charm hidden anywhere. 

Lauren comes back with bruises everywhere and Evony comes back actually...happy… 

Not that anyone who even suggests she is, lives to pass that message on to others. 

  


. 

  


(Magic is interesting, and both Emma and Regina work on something to gift Lauren. Give her a chance a real chance at long-term happiness) 

((which may or may not have involved Evony trying to give Regina an army as thanks behind Lauren’s back. Emma manages to jump in and stop that transaction from happening. She prefers the private island anyway, and the free use of the fae that can bend space or whatever at their will. That and suddenly a lot of people in Toronto are out-of-their-way nice...and a little bit terrified of upsetting them, and Henry)) 

(((Regina may or may not use that to her advantage when she’s feeling petty and in a bad mood))) 

  



End file.
